The tournament kicks off across the nation on Thursday, Nov. 21 with first-round match-ups. This year’s final will be played at Philadelphia’s PPL Park with semifinals scheduled for Friday, Dec. 13 and the championship on Sunday, Dec. 15.

“The whole Academy system is fairly new to the Earthquakes, and to achieve what we have in three years is a testament to the hard work of the kids in our program and the first-class staff we have in place,” said Earthquakes technical director Chris Leitch. “It’s great to see our kids move on from the Academy and make big impacts for their college teams. Seeing these kids lead their teams to the NCAA Tournament speaks to their continued dedication to growing as soccer players and student-athletes at the university level. Our players’ ultimate goals are to become professional soccer players, but along that way it’s our goal to make sure they have the opportunity to receive a college education.”

Thompson (Loomis, Calif. / Granite Bay HS) was named the Big-Ten Freshman of the Year after leading the Hoosiers offensively with five goals and two assists despite missing six games with a torn meniscus. He also received recognition as All-Big-Ten Second-Team and All-Big-Ten Tournament selections. Thompson led the defending NCAA Champions to a Big-Ten Tournament title, knocking off Michigan State 1-0 over the weekend. The Hoosiers hit the road to face Akron in the first round on Thursday at 4 p.m. PT.

Callinan (San Francisco, Calif. / St. Ignatius Prep) scored two goals in 15 games for Stanford in 2013, leading the Cardinal to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. Stanford hosts Loyola Marymount on Thursday at CaganStadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. PT.

Perez (Los Altos, Calif. / The Harker School) came off the bench to make seven appearances for UC Santa Barbara in 2013, most of which came late in the season. The Gauchos are seeded No. 10 in the tournament and have a first-round bye. They’ll host the winner of Penn State-Saint Francis (Brooklyn) on Sunday, Nov. 24.

Engs (Lafayette, Calif. / College Prep HS) saw limited action with two appearances in 2013, but his Quakers won the Ivy League to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Penn hosts Providence in their opening match on Thursday at 4 p.m. PT.

Elsewhere around the Earthquakes Academy scene, Kendall McIntosh (Santa Rosa, Calif. / Sonoma Academy) received All-West Coast Conference recognition in his firstseason as Santa Clara’s starting goalkeeper. His teammate-turned-rival Christian De Luna also received West Coast Conference honors, earning a spot on the All-Freshman squad as a defender for the University of San Francisco.

Last year, 11 Earthquakes Academy alumni signed letters of intent to play college soccer. Three of those players redshirted for teams that reached the NCAA Tournament. In all, the club has sent 18 players to college programs during its three years. That list includes: